Labour's Jack Abbott raises concerns more than 2,000 Suffolk families are missing out on NHS Healthy Start vouchers

Concerns have been raised that low-income Suffolk families are missing out on Government help to buy milk and healthy food for their babies and young children.

Jack Abbott, Labour's prospective parliamentary candidate for Ipswich, criticised the Government over its handling of the NHS Healthy Start scheme, which provides a prepaid card to those eligible to buy items like infant formula milk and fruit and vegetables.

Latest data reveals uptake across the county is 61 per cent, meaning 2,130 eligible families are missing out on the support. Across the Suffolk local authority areas uptake was lowest in Mid Suffolk at 57 per cent.

The scheme is for those on a low income who are pregnant or have a young child, as well as pregnant under-18s who are not on benefits, and provides up to £8.50 each week.

Nationally, it has been reported that thousands of people were incorrectly ruled ineligible for support - with some parents waiting more than a year for backdated payments - when the scheme moved over from paper vouchers to a digital, prepaid card system.

Mr Abbott, who has led the campaign in Suffolk to raise awareness of Healthy Start, said: "We have worked hard over the past two years to raise awareness about Healthy Start vouchers, but this latest Conservative shambles has really hampered efforts.

"Crucially, more than two thousand eligible families in Suffolk are still missing out on this vital help.

“It’s totally unacceptable at the best of times for people to not receive the support they’re entitled to, but the fact that the Government has made such a mess of Healthy Start is staggering given the cost-of-living crisis.

“I have no doubt that families in Ipswich and Suffolk have been affected by the latest in a long line of Government incompetence in managing this scheme. Healthy Start is designed to help give babies and young children from the hardest hit families access to fresh fruit, vegetables, and milk. The Conservatives are failing them.”

Mr Abbott claimed the Government had been 'dragging their feet' over backdating claims following glitches when the scheme transitioned to the prepaid card system.

A spokesperson for NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA), which delivers the scheme on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), said they were in the process of contacting people they believe may be due a backdated payment, and some backdated payments have already been paid.

The spokesperson added: "National uptake is currently 62.7 per cent, which is an increase compared to uptake for the previous paper voucher scheme.

"More families are now eligible for the scheme than before, and the number of beneficiaries on the scheme has increased by more than 20,000 since August 2021.

"Since the digital scheme went live in September 2021, there have been more than 478,000 successful applications, and more than £92 million has been spent using the prepaid cards."

We also contacted the DHSC for comment.

Jim McMahon MP, Shadow Secretary for the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and chair of the Co-operative Party, which led the national campaign to increase uptake of the vouchers, added: "The Government should be prioritising food security in all its work. People need proper access to healthy and nutritious food.”

You can qualify for Healthy Start if you are at least 10 weeks pregnant or have a child under four years old and you or your family receive:

• Income Support;
• Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance;
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance;
• Child Tax Credit with a family income of £16,190 or less per year;
• Pension Credit;
• Universal Credit with no earned income or total earned income of £408 or less per month for the family.
• You also qualify if you are under 18 and pregnant, even if you don’t get any of the above benefits.

In terms of promotion of the scheme, the NHSBSA spokesperson said they actively do so through their digital channels, they help stakeholders promote it at a local level and they have worked with major retailers such as Sainsbury’s and Iceland to increase awareness.

"The NHSBSA will continue to work with other supermarkets and retailers to further promote the scheme," the spokesperson said.

More information about Healthy Start can be found here.